Your floor choice is really nice, very neutral. No, my hardwood floor does not have a cherry tone to it. It really is more like a deep brown. it's by Shaw and is called Hazelnut. Even though my island and peninsula is made from cherry the color is called "saddle" and it's also in the brown family color. It's alittle lighter than the floor. I was really torn between using a tile like yours our going with hardwood. But, I went with the hardwood because it blended with the rest of the house better. So far, you have done a great job with your choices - go w/your gut. If you love that Mascarello which I think the tones go very nice with your cabs & floor - go for it...

Watch out for trying to mix cool grays with warm oak. Small amounts work OK. A gray backsplash would have gone with my countertops - but would have been drab with my warm wood. Warm wood tones and cool grays do not bring out the best in each other which is why the gray is usually paired with white. Gray is a bit overused right now which means it risks being labeled "dated" in the next 10 years though it will always be an important neutral - like cream and beige. Go ahead and try it in wall color that can be easily changed but be careful of using too much in more permanent surfaces. The grays in your countertop read warm which is why it is working with your cabinets. Consider your wall color last as it is the least permanent surface and easy to change.

Am also having this internal argument with myself on making right choice for cabinets/countertops. Going with a painted soft gray shaker style cabinets for perimeter and a darker wood stain for island. Originally wanted white quartz but we liked fantasy brown when we went to go pick out the countertops. Nervous this combo will be too gray and murky but don't want white cabinets...Painting walls white and white subway tile to brighten as well as going with a light wood floor. Thinking about keeping the fantasy brown for island but doing the white quartz on perimeter instead....love earthy tones and a natural stone so FB is beautiful but don't want to over do the gray...anyone have pics of the gray/FB combo all done?

As Anglophilia has, I can attest to the wonderful durability of Corian. My current kitchen has 30+ year old Corian and the kitchen being remodeled in the new house had Corian of about the same age and it looked great. With the remodel, however, I will most likely not go with Corian because I'm simply tired of it. Am leaning towards quartz or granite. Jennifer Hogan's post above has a wonderful comparison based on actual experience. Regarding baking buttery dough, Julia Child, on her original show on PBS, mentioned she had a piece of marble cut to fit her fridge. She placed it there to cool and then used it as a pastry board for rolling out dough. This was back in the day when pretty much the only choice was Formica or some other brand of laminate for a counter top. Also, get what you like and don't worry about when it will become dated. Don't fool yourself - whatever you pick WILL look dated in 20 years and maybe sooner. However, what comes around goes around. Even boomerang Formica has come back in style.